Study: Hydration Linked To Weight Loss

Trending News: Want To Shed Some Pounds? Then Drink This

Why Is This Important?

Because you don't like putting on weight do you?

Long Story Short

A new study found that obese people aren't hydrated enough, leading the researchers to conclude that water might be a big key to weight loss. But that doesn't necessarily mean you need to be drinking eight glasses a day.

Long Story

Water. You'd be dead without it, yet so many people drink so little. And that could be one of the reasons so many of us are overweight or obese, according to a new study published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

The study looked at nearly 10,000 people aged 18 to 64 over a three-year span and found that those with a higher BMI tended to not be as hydrated.

This shouldn't be anything new — you've all likely been nagged by your mothers to drink more water to stay healthy — but not necessarily because of weight loss.

But that doesn't mean you should be drinking eight glasses of water, as your mom probably told you. That much water might be too much or too little depending on your size and what you're doing.

"Water consumption is not an ideal measure of hydration," explained lead author Tammy Chang to CNN. "The amount of water it takes to stay hydrated depends on your body size and many other factors like your activity level and the climate you live in. Imagine if you were a landscaper in Arizona versus a receptionist in Michigan. The amount of water it takes to stay hydrated will be drastically different."

The researchers don't know why water leads to weight loss, but one idea is that it could be because you're not as hungry when you're fully hydrated.

Not a big water drinker? Then you'll be happy to know that the theory might be leaky like a punctured water bed. What if those with a higher BMI drank more water? Would they lose weight? The researchers notably didn't look into that. They just found that those with a higher BMI tend to be less hydrated.

Still, your body is clearly asking for water when your throat is dry or you have a headache, so you should probably listen to it and drink up. One way to get your water is to (no, I'm not going to say put sugary or aspartame-flavored powder into your water or consume soft drinks, you should already know those are bad) is to eat vegetables that are jam-packed with H2O like cucumbers, celery, radish and lettuce (iceberg pretty much is water, but you're better to go with the darker green stuff).

Go on now, drink up!

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Does drinking water help weight loss, or are those who are overweight just more thirsty?

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What the hell is with those tiny drinking glasses people? I want to drink water, not take shots.